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June 2018: 7 people May 2018: 7 people April 2018: 24 people March 2018: 13 people February 2018: 8 people January 2018: 25 people December 2017: 7 people November 2017: 9 people |
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93 Total Posts
Sailing Locations
Liverpool Model Boat Club
Since: 17th Mar 2013 
Hoylake Model Boat Club
Since: 9th Feb 2014 
Runcorn Model Boat Club
Since: 5th Apr 2016 Harbour
Deans Marine RTTL
Type: Other |
Captain
191 points away from Admiral!
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609 Total Points
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United Kingdom
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😁Had this problem back in the mid 1990s with an MFA Spearfish with 12 volt set up and 40 MHz radio. In one part of the lake it appeared to lose radio contact which was puzzling. A fellow model boat user said he thought it was interference from radios in taxis that were operating close by. Never really got to the bottom of it but the fellow enthusiasts explanation appeared to have logic to it due to the close taxi operation. Boaty😁
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Hi CB90 Have you tried Dave Marles at Prestwich Model Boats? He is an expert on this sort of thing and he fixed me up with a prop for my Proboat Blackjack recently. Its worth giving Dave a call as he may know where you can find one even if he has not got one in stock. Boaty😋
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Like the fine detail. It shows that a masterpiece can be made of models with the skills and patience. I restored a 34 inch Fire Boat in 2014. Got it for almost nothing as it was a complete wreck and was heading for the nearest skip. Outcome was very rewarding but I never thought of doing a detailed interior as such. Mmm, its given me ideas now, only thing I want is the time to do it. B😊oaty
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I have a liking for Italeri kits myself. Built the Vosper MTB in 2011 then the PT 109 a few years later. They really perform well either with single or triple props. Both of mine have 480 brushed motors, single props, and 2s Lipo 2200mAh. Ideal for small ponds where you can maintain scale speeds and if easy on the throttle you can have a decent endurance before the battery goes flat. Boaty😁
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You're very lucky to have access to lakes such as those. I wish we had some like that here in Cheshire. I could run my fast electric flat out. I have tried a couple of sailing clubs who use the Cheshire Meres but they don't cater for models. Boaty😁
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Good example of an early Sea Commander. The original ones did have three windows on each side of the main cabin. Somehow as time went on the large cabin window appeared in their place. Build quality looks excellent and it should be a gem after restoration.😋
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Great lake with beautiful scenery. Hope your gala day goes ahead with a full attendance. Boaty😁
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4 years ago I restored an old 34 inch Aerokits Crash tender. I used filler for any gaps in the joints then prepared the hull with sanding sealer having got it really smooth. For the rest of the paintwork I first used Halfords primer then used their acrylic for the final colours. I gave it four coats of colour leaving it over a day between each coat. When painting was finished and after checking it was fully dry, I rubbed the hull down lightly using Maguires scratch remover, (also from Halfords) and got a nice shine between the deck and the red waterline. It seems to have lasted well as it has not crazed over this amount of time. The total cost of the primer, paint and especially the scratch remover was not cheap but in the long run it did work. Boaty🤓
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Very nice model. The moulding looks of good quality and there is opportunity for a lot of detail to be added. Sailing at scale speed it will appear very realistic and should look great on the water. Boaty😊
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Good to mention the 40 inch length hull ref ease of transportation. I adhere to this as well due to there not being much room in the car. Back in the 1960s I had a very large pond yacht which we struggled to get into the back of dad's Austin A40. To add to all this we had to remove the rigging so it would fit in the back. Things got worse when dad was at work and grandad and I used to take it on the bus. Cant do that now as health and safety has taken over and we don't want passengers contacting a "no win no fee" solicitor. Boaty😋
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I have found a similar situation with li po batteries. After standing for some time when I have connected them to the charger there are not as depleted as I thought. I had an interesting find last year when I was in a second hand shop in North Wales. There was a large metal ammunition box that appeared to be of WW2" vintage and they only wanted a tenner so I bought it. I keep my li po's in it with the higher capacity ones also in the box but in the fire resistant bag. The box of course has a lid that securely closes with two catches. 😁 Boaty
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Good to see a model of the Higgins PT Boat and a scratch built one at that. I had a Revell 1.72nd one back in 1961 when I was 9 but these became eclipsed the following year when the PT 109 film was released. Love the background music and your sailing water in Albert Park. The boat looks so realistic and you've now got me thinking of building one. Never yet seen a model of a Huckins P.T boat. Is there anyone out there who has built one? Long live the plywood dream. BOATY😁
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Really lovely model. What power unit are you considering ? I can picture this boat with small brushless performing at scale speed and attracting a lot of attention.😁 BOATY
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Thanks for your reply and its very interesting. Was your model based on an advanced Fire Float that little was known about outside of military circles? Bridlington is only a short distance from RAF Elvington which was a bomber base in WW2. In the 1950s it became a V Bomber base and logically it would need to have improved marine rescue facilities to deal with aircraft that had ditched in the North Sea. It could be that your boat was built to fulfil this role and there may be a possibility that other Fire Floats may have been constructed for similar uses but not disclosed. 😁😁😁. Boaty
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I have done a bit of research into the possibility of it being a Mark 1 fire float but have not as yet come up with anything. I have a theory about this boat as when the Mark 2 fire floats were "disposed of" around 1958 there is very little detail of what became of them. Could one or both of them have undergone some modifications with the extension to the cabins etc but it was never recorded, ie not on historical records of R.A.F launches. Boaty😁
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I have used Halfords acrylic when restoring an old Aerokits Fireboat. However, it was not the easiest paint to work with and only got a good finish when everything was stripped down to the bare wood. I applied sanding sealer followed by Halfords primer then built up several coats of acrylic , leaving 3 hours between coats. When finished I used rubbing compound to get a good gloss. I am sure there must be better methods of painting model boats especially vintage ones that have already had coats of paint in the past.😁
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Try Dens Models Website if you are looking for a small outboard motor. He is the dealer for the Aeronaut range that do both boats and aircraft. I have seen an outboard powered model in his range and he is situated on the Isle of Wight. Den is an excellent person with a longstanding interest in model making .😊 Boaty.
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Hi Bryan Best way to remove the propshaft is to undo the universal joint at the top then slide the shaft out through the stern tube . Sometimes this may be difficult if the rudder gets in the way. If you remove the prop there is a good chance you can extract the shaft without too much difficulty but be careful not to bend the shaft. Referring to the latter it is advisable to remove the rudder but on some occasions I have bent the rudder slightly though there is an element of risk in this as the rudder has to be realigned. When reassembling the shaft and universal coupling check that after fitting the prop there is adequate clearance between the prop hub and the stern tube and the same with the coupling so the assembly can rotate freely without rubbing against the tube . Regards Boaty😊
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Hi Andy I use Dynamite Marine grease both on my fast electric and scale boats. You can purchase this from Wheelspin Models and you can also buy a grease gun from them as well😋. It is brilliant for whatever boat you own and with the gun you can really lubricate the whole propshaft. Boaty
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Hi NovagsiO Mums are really great. They know value for money when they see it and if they feel its too expensive they will find a way around it to get something better and cheaper. Good to see your mum taking an interest in model boats as well. Perhaps she could transfer her 😁dressmaking skills to making sails for yachts Boaty
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😁You certainly got it right Onetenor. Water does appear an attraction to persons who want to dump rubbish . I came across this once when sailing on a lake in a Liverpool park. My boat appeared to stall then suddenly regained forward motion but a little bit slower. When I brought it in, the prop was badly chewed up and there were scrape marks along the bottom of the hull. Guess it made contact with some submerged object that should have not been there. Hopefully technology would provide us with an answer one day; miniature sonar at an affordable price. Boaty
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Hi Steve Its fresh water but the much larger Marine Lake a quarter of a mile up the road is salt water. I don't know if you are allowed to sail models there. I used it once in the 1990s with a fast electric but had to flush out the cooling system after. Went in the early morning when it was quiet so I didn't get spotted. Boaty😊
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New Brighton lake is ideal as it has parking close by and it appears to be very clean. Easy to launch your models as water level is high by having raised concrete walls around the perimeter. For speed enthusiasts there is a much larger lake on Wirral in Gautby Rd were I.C models are allowed and the lake also hosts an excellent model yacht club. Boaty😊
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Good to see someone working with tin again. I remember the old Sutcliffe models form the 1950s and they were good fun. Keep up the good work.😊 Boaty
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Had a similar problem with a fast electric myself. I put a bigger battery in which increased the running time but it did have detrimental effect on speed and😁 handling. Quick way to check if a larger battery will affect performance is to weigh the existing battery, note weight then find out the weight of the bigger battery you intend to purchase. Make up some ballast to the weight difference between the two batteries and put it in the boat with the original battery and see if there are any changes in performance as a result. It will save you buying the larger battery if you feel the performance is less than what you expected. Boaty
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Excellent boats with great scale performance. I like the Fairmile Ds as they are good subjects for modelling and at static displays they always attract a lot of attention. Boaty😊
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Built an Italeri PT 109 about four years ago. Power is by a brushed 480 running on 2200 mha 7.4 Lipo. Drive is a single prop and it performs nicely at a scale speed but it can not be run flat out for too long as it will overheat and due to the excessive speed it can get slightly out of shape.. I used Humbrol Grass Green acrylic aerosol for the paint job with dull red from the waterline downwards. I built the model to its earlier spec with a life raft mounted on the bow in place of the later cannon which I believe was used for barge busting. Boaty
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Hi Garth, I have my second Sea Commander which I still use , but the first one I sold 13 years ago. I never actually built a Sea Commander but the one I have now and the previous model I picked up cheap and restored them. You do get things like this that come up on Ebay occasionally and though restoration appears sometimes to be challenging I find a lot of satisfaction when the work is completed. My first Sea Commander I found underneath a table on a stall in Ellesmere Port Market and it was about to be binned. The stall holder was glad to accept five pounds for it and it turned out that the hull was quite solid and all I had to do was to make the cabin roof, sand it all down, paint it then fit the motor and radio. I hope you get your Sea Commander, they are lovely boats from yesteryear and even a new build is very rewarding. Boaty😊
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I had this problem last year with my Aerokits Sea Commander also powered by a 600. While sailing under full power it suddenly stopped. After drifting for a few minutes I tried again and it came back to life. When I brought it back to shore the motor and ESC were very hot. As there appeared to be no flotsam in the lake and the prop shaft was able to be turned freely my only theory is that ESC overheated and shut down and when it cooled off it functioned again.😊 Boaty
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